Posted on 09 March 2017

Each neighbourhood will have one designated yellow box to serve every 1,000 smokers.

Singaporeans from all walks of life, who believe giving up their individual liberties until they have very little left but made to feel like things have progressed, are nodding their heads appreciatively.

This after they agree the legal smoking age must be increased to 21 years old and the next step the authorities must take is to ban smoking at home as well.

This means that no one is allowed to smoke indoors in one’s own house at any time of the day in a bid to make Singaporeans healthier and Singapore smoke-free.

But to cater to those who still want to puff their cancer sticks, each neighbourhood will have one designated yellow box in place to serve every 1,000 smokers.

A health authority, Sio Hoon Kee, said: “As there is only one designated smoking corner located at a different, non-permanent location each day in each neighbourhood, smokers will have to hike throughout their estate to find it.”

“This will greatly aid smokers in their exercise regime and ensure they at least get to break some sweat.”

Other locals said enforcement of this law is the key to prevent smokers from lighting up at home.

Another Singaporean, Bao Toh Kia, said: “The authorities will then have to hire more officers to be located in each and every household to conduct hourly spot checks.”

“This will greatly increase the number of public servants in Singapore and cut down on the unemployment rate.”

Posted on 26 August 2016

Smokers in Singapore from all walks of life, who didn’t fully comprehend how their own health is the government’s business until today when the haze arrived, have come out to thank the National Environment Agency profusely.

This after smoking was banned at reservoirs and more than 400 parks islandwide from June 1, 2016, as part of measures to make Singapore smoke-free.

One smoker, Sio Hoon Kee, said: “Now that the parks and reservoirs are free from cigarette smoke, I can enjoy the fresh haze when I go for a walk with my family this evening after work.”

Other Singaporeans said they are heartened and can take many lessons from this fresh round of haze.

Mong Cha Cha, another local, said: “I like how the government can take small measures to control small outcomes but cannot take big measures to control big outcomes.”

“It’s almost like missing the forest for the trees because it is too hazy to see clearly.”

Posted on 01 June 2016

Each neighbourhood will have one designated yellow box to serve every 1,000 smokers.

Singaporeans from all walks of life, who believe giving up their individual liberties until they have very little left but made to feel like things have progressed, are nodding their heads appreciatively.

This after they agree banning smoking in parks and reservoirs is the right thing to do and the next step the authorities must take is to ban smoking at home as well.

This means that no one is allowed to smoke indoors in one’s own house at any time of the day in a bid to make Singaporeans healthier and Singapore smoke-free.

But to cater to those who still want to puff their cancer sticks, each neighbourhood will have one designated yellow box in place to serve every 1,000 smokers.

A health authority, Sio Hoon Kee, said: “As there is only one designated smoking corner located at a different, non-permanent location each day in each neighbourhood, smokers will have to hike throughout their estate to find it.”

“This will greatly aid smokers in their exercise regime and ensure they at least get to break some sweat.”

Other locals said enforcement of this law is the key to prevent smokers from lighting up at home.

Another Singaporean, Bao Toh Kia, said: “The authorities will then have to hire more officers to be located in each and every household to conduct hourly spot checks.”

“This will greatly increase the number of public servants in Singapore and cut down on the unemployment rate.”

Posted on 02 January 2016

Only three mobile outdoor smoking points will be available at any given time.

As the authorities are looking at raising the minimum legal age for buying and using tobacco from 18 to 21 and restricting the sale of flavoured tobacco products, such as menthol cigarettes, Singapore is planning on going smoke-free by 2017.

This means that no one is allowed to smoke outdoors publicly at any time of the day in a bid to make Singaporeans healthier.

But to cater to those who still want to puff their cancer sticks, a grand total of three designated smoking points will be allocated on the whole island.

Each designated smoking area will be three-by-three metres and have walls to hold smokers in. And they will all be mobile.

A health authority, Sio Hoon Kee, said the reason for this is simple: “As there are only three designated smoking corners for up to two and a half million smokers in Singapore, it is essential that we space them out and move them around so everyone can use it.”

There will not be a fixed schedule as to where the smoking points will be located next and it is not known how many areas it will cover in a day.

However, anyone caught smoking outdoors outside the perimeter of the designated smoking corners will be punished by being banned from smoking and they will be ordered to carry the mobile smoking corner around for a week and become a passive second-hand smoker.

Posted on 17 December 2015

While I applaud the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) latest pre-emptive move to ban smokeless cigarettes in Singapore, I am disappointed that the Government did not leverage this opportunity to extend the ban to other forms of cigarettes as well (“Ban on smokeless cigarettes kicks in“; Dec 15).

According to the MOH press release, the Government is “banning emerging tobacco products as a pre-emptive measure to protect public health against the known and potential harms of such products”.

Going by that objective, I am perplexed that the ban was not extended to include cigarettes, which can also produce second-hand smoke to affect people nearby.

The Government has, thus far, taken a two-pronged approach of educating the public and expanding the number of places where smoking is prohibited.

These measures are important but insufficient to protect the public from the ill effects of smoking.

I urge the Government to have a clear timeline of imposing a ban on smoking in Singapore if it intends to do so eventually.

This timeline would give smokers and retailers time to adjust their habits and business models, respectively. It would also clarify the Government’s intent and resolve in protecting Singaporeans from the effects of smoking.

The vision of a smoke-free Singapore need not end up in smoke and can happen with bold policymaking in the interests of all Singaporeans.

Tham Tuck Meng

This is a real letter published in The Straits Times Forum on Dec. 15, 2015.

This means that no one is allowed to smoke outdoors publicly at any time of the day in a bid to make Singaporeans healthier.

But to cater to those who still want to puff their cancer sticks, a grand total of three designated smoking points will be allocated on the whole island.

Each designated smoking area will be three-by-three metres and have walls to hold smokers in. And they will all be mobile.

A health authority, Sio Hoon Kee, said the reason for this is simple: “As there are only three designated smoking corners for up to two and a half million smokers in Singapore, it is essential that we space them out and move them around so everyone can use it.”

There will not be a fixed schedule as to where the smoking points will be located next and it is not known how many areas it will cover in a day.

However, anyone caught smoking outdoors outside the perimeter of the designated smoking corners will be punished by being banned from smoking and they will be ordered to carry the mobile smoking corner around for a week and become a passive second-hand smoker.

Posted on 07 September 2013

In a face-to-face interview published today, Pastor Lawrence Khong of Faith Community Baptist Church said besides adultery and being a loan sharking victim, smoking is not acceptable in church.

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At a break during the papal conclave of 2013 convened to elect a pope to succeed Benedict XVI in March earlier this year, two of the 115 participating cardinal-electors did something that will make Lawrence Khong furrow his brow, tsk tsk and say it is unacceptable.

Posted on 11 February 2012

Nope, sorry, but the Singapore team is doing pretty well for a bunch of people who drink and smoke.

By New Nation Sports Guru

Singapore CubsXII. Meow.

It has been made public by LionsXII assistant coach Kadir Yahaya that there is a drinking and smoking culture in Singapore football.

As with all things that involve morals, many people with an upright disposition will say that sports, alcohol and cigarettes don’t mix.

But to others who don’t bother to take this upright course – because upright usually means boring and dull, they would say: Well, at least sports, alcohol and cigarettes should not mix at the same time.

Because doing sports, alcohol and cigarettes all at the same time would in fact be called “clubbing”.

But, I mean, is this even considered news?

Many people, with judgemental tendencies, automatically assume that this is a sign that something is wrong with the sporting culture of our nation if sportsmen drink and smoke.

For me, I’ll defend our national team and say to critics, “Get lost”.

Drinking and smoking is what real men do.

In fact, drinking and smoking is what differentiates humans from animals.

Go on, name me a squirrel who smokes?

And I dare you, name me a fish that drinks vodka or bourbon?

Because only through drinking and smoking can real men feel like they have aged properly.

But let’s not argue over ideas.

Let’s talk pure statistics.

Look at the LionsXII’s results in the Malaysia super league: They have so far won two games, lost twice and drawn two others. And they have scored a grand total of 5 goals in six matches and this is a testimony of their unbreakable spirit and smokers’ lungs and drinkers’ liver.

And who did the Singapore team actually managed to beat?

Sabah and Kuala Lumpur.

Two teams who have players who go to bed at 9 p.m. and who eat their vegetables and whose only encounter with alcohol is in cologne.

Therefore, for smokers and drinkers, scoring five goals is already six goals too many.

But there is a much larger discussion that needs to be addressed.

And that is: Football doesn’t add to our country’s economy.

Eleven grown men from one team chasing a ball for 90 minutes against 11 grown men from another team is nothing different from 22 grown men chasing each other to give each other wedgies.

Both activities are just as pointless, sweaty and tiring.

But don’t get me wrong. I’m not here to boo boo soccer per se.

I believe soccer is as pointless as swimming where the main aim is to hold one’s breath and try to go forward while moving one’s arms and legs to see who can go faster until you touch the wall again.

How should this be considered an achievement in life? Let alone an achievement for our human race? And seriously, when I say “human race”, pardon the pun.

Come on, do you seriously see chickens trying to swim faster than one another just so the winner gets to collect a trophy?

Or do you see chipmunks getting wet to be triumphant aquatically?

If animals are not so pointless, why are we?

A greater achievement in life, I believe, is developing the ability to actually breathe underwater naturally.

At that instant, it can be assured that mankind has broken the plateau of our evolutionary heritage and broached new ground with growing something called “gills”.